The need for analgesic cover after ENT surgery--comparison of nefopam and papaveretum.

Intra-operative intramuscular injections of either papaveretum 0.3 mg/kg or nefopam 0.4 mg/kg were given to alternate patients to promote smooth emergence from ENT anaesthesia in a consecutive series of 40 children. Observations over a period of 30 minutes following completion of surgery showed that emergence was satisfactory in 19 out of 20 children given papaveretum, and in 15 out of 20 children given nefopam. The study confirms that this indication for papaveretum is justifiably popular and that nefopam is a useful alternative mainly because it does not cause respiratory depression. There are no previous reports of the use of nefopam in children.